Iron Subterfuge
by Wordsmith 17
Summary: It was a simple operation. One-shot. Read to understand...or not. I am Alpharius, he is Alpharius, everyone is Alpharius, Alpharius does not exist.


La-Som of the Iron Warriors was glad of the armoured hull and protective Flare Shield of the Land Raider Spartan in which he, nine other Tyrant Siege Terminators, and a group of five flamer Tactical Support Legionnaires stood. He could feel, in his sensorium, the energy of the Laser Destroyers on the side bringing enemy tanks to ruin, and could see, via the external cameras, two smoking ruins of a pair of Leman Russ tanks that had presumptuously attempted to bring down the tank with their lascannons and Vanquisher cannons. He checked again his missile launcher and combi-melta, and smiled grimly. Perfect, perfect, perfect. He felt the impact as the orbiting Battle Barge vaporised a section of walls. He smiled again. Then the forward assault ramp opened, and he and his squad were the first into the city. They left by fives, the first five going forth, the sergeant at the head, then the next five, then the flamer team. He accquired targets, ignoring the autogun and stubber fire rattling from his Cataphractii plate. Then, he fired. His Cyclone missile launcher discharged, payload screaming fury at the enemy, and a whole platoon of despairing militiamen were turned to meat. His squadmates were doing the same, finishing off any survivors with bolter rounds. Volleys of Lasgun fire came in as better-trained Auxilia squads came up on their position. The Spartan's heavy bolter roared to life, and the rounds tore them limb from limb. The flamer team ran forth to burn out a gun emplacement. He blasted an Ogryn with a volley of Krak missiles, and placed the locator beacon, as was his duty. A set of drop pods lit the sky as they fell, hammering down to disgorge the ten-man Breacher squads they held. The sky burned still, and a set of new drop pods landed. These ones used retro thrusters to stop their descent, and ancient heroes clanked forth. These dreadnoughts were Iron Hands legion, as opposed to the Iron Warriors to whom La-som belonged. He ran to join his squad, in ao far as he could run in the bulky Cataphractii plate. They were bogged down in combat, their weapons not availing them against a Leman Russ at the end of the street. Too far away to use their Meltas, they were dead when their cover went. One of the dreadnoughts, a Leviathan, charged. It tore through the Russ, and continued on. His squad charged also. The Sergeant, Dosu, led them. Then, a Lascannon roared. Dosu fell, chest torn open by the blast, and they inundated the firer's position with frags. The woman, an Auxilia trooper by the name of Harris, died almost instantly. These Auxilia had rejected the Emperor's truth, and for that, repression was required. The Iron Hands forged ahead, weapons blazing, and the Iron Warriors needed to support them. The Breachers were doing their part, but the Terminators? They were behind schedule. Four Assault Squads roared from the sky, their pistols cursing violently at the foe, and the Terminators began to move.

"My lord?" Said the manservant. "My lord, we must go."

"No. They will not pass the defenses. Set the minefield to remote detonate."

"Yes, my lord."

They lost two more to opportunistic attacks before they reached the city centre. There were seven of them left, and command had gone to an Astartes named Marso. They made all speed to the palace, where the governor lurked. The Iron Hands had sent in a few squads of Devastators, to complement the two Iron Havocs squads that now blasted holes in the walls of the building. Thunderhawks were even now dropping vehicles and suchlike into the outer districts, but to land any closer to the palace, the quad Lascannon emplacements on the roof of the palace had to be silenced. Void Shield banks protected them from the Iron Havocs and Devastators, but could not save them from close assault. The Breacher teams were forging ahead across the wartorn ground between them and the palace, but every so often the soldiers defending the palace popped up and opened fire. Only one squad of Breachers remained. The Terminators advanced into the battle. Their missiles streaked away, shredding an Auxilia trooper who could not move quick enough. Their bolters blazed, and the bolts thudded into the wall. Within a minute, they were at the wall. Their meltas howled, and the wall melted away, and they were in. Fire met them from all angles, but they responded in kind, and broken bodies were hurled away. Marso took a melta blast to the head, his armour barely absorbing the punishment, and was subsequently shredded by a rotor cannon. Six Terminators left. Then a lucky plasma gun shot reduced that number to 5. They kept firing, but then the squad status feeds from Donsa and Li-su blinked empty. La-som's weapon followed suit, as did the others', and they charged in with their chainfists. Eventually, two casualties later, they reached the roof. They stepped up. The doors shut behind them. La-Som cursed. "Get those doors open." he ordered Donsa and Li-Su. He himself set about laying the melta charges on the guns, wishing they had been issued surplus. That would have made breaking the door easy. He heard two wet 'schlop' sounds, and saw the icons on his squad display blink out. He spun around, bolter already firing. The rounds glanced from the plate of the Alpha Legionnaires. "What are you doing here?" he asked, violence and hatred spilling from his every word. He didn't really care, he simply needed to delay them long enough for the Assault Squads to arrive.

"It should be obvious."

"Enlighten me."

"We have a mission. You are in the way."

"What mission?"

"Our mission." then he died, an inferno pistol melting his head. In death, though, his brain sent one word to the melta charges. _Detonate._ The roof was enveloped in conflagration.

Alpharius turned to the new arrival. "My Lord Primarch, the mission was accomplished, but the squad involved took one hundred percent casualties."

"Perfect. No witnesses." then his spear lashed out, taking the head from the bearer of news. "No witnesses."

 _ **Just a little Horus Heresy one-shot I wanted to write, tell me what you thought!**_


End file.
